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WhatsApp will enable Google search directly into the app to avoid hoaxes. Any user will be able to check the veracity of photos received in private chats and groups before forwarding them to other users.

A very common type of hoax is the propagation of photographs of a certain event and a specific date, but associating it with another place and another circumstance for political or manipulative purposes.

In the contextual menu that appears when making a prolonged touch on a photo, the option search image will be added, that will send the photo to the search of images of Google.

The result of this search would automatically appear in the default browser.

At the moment, the feature is not available and the company has not confirmed whether it will reach the one billion people using the instant messaging tool worldwide.

It only appears in the trial version for Android 2.19.73, which for the first time shows the option ‘search image’ next to ‘share’.

When the first one is selected, it warns that it will “upload the image to Google” and then opens a window with the results in the default browser.

The purpose of this initiative would be to make it easier for WhatsApp users to find out in a simple way the data, context and origin of the images that are shared through conversations in the app. An effective method to deal with “fake news”.

It should be noted that reverse image search is a function of Google to find the source or origin of a photograph, know the date on which an image was uploaded to the Internet and find similar images.

The company seeks to combat “fake news” by providing its users with an option to discover the origin of shared images on the instant messaging network.

WABetaInfo reports the discovery of this new feature in beta version 2.19.73 of the Android messenger app.

However, the reverse image search is not yet available, but the site mentions that the function appears to be ready, so it is likely that we will soon see it officially arrive.

It is important to mention that the search engine used for reverse image search is Google.

When selecting the option, as reported by the site, appears a message that warns about the loading of the image in question to the engine of the Big G to be able to do the search on the Internet.

This makes all the sense in the world. Let’s remember that WhatsApp and Google have previously collaborated so that messenger backups don’t take up space on Drive, Google’s cloud storage service.

So collaboration on this other important aspect is not entirely surprising.

This is another of the measures WhatsApp will add to its arsenal in search of the correct use of its platform, as it has previously done with its new system of invitations to groups and the suspension of accounts that make use of unofficial applications.